To Whatever End
by eleanor.c.marshall
Summary: One shot. Set after EoS. I'm sorry, I wrote this after I finished reading ACOMAF.


The dress was stunning. A beautiful white waterfall of silk and lace fit for a queen. "Nervous?" said a voice on her right. She looked over at the tall blond man with eyes of stunning blue and a core of gold, a twin to her own. She shifted from one foot  
to another,  
" how could I not be?". Her heart was racing, her breath coming in an uneven pulse. She was okay, I will not be afraid she told herself. Almost as if he could read her thoughts " You'll be fine" he said in a soothing tone.  
"I know, I know it's just –"  
"Just what?"  
" What if I say the wrong thing or accidentally insult someone –" she said, her words coming out in a nervous torrent." You'll be fine. Now one last thing." He replied, his voice was soothing and calm, steady.  
With white gloved hands he placed a tiara of ruby and gold that seemed to dance with flame on her perfectly curled golden hair. He extended one arm for her to grasp and with one last knowing smile the doors opened to reveal a cavernous hall  
decorated in white and red roses, filled with people in benches who stood as the doors opened. After one last deep breath Aelin Ashryver Galathanius stepped through the doors.

At the top of the hall there stood an altar covered in a gold cloth. Behind it was a women in a white robe with a seven pointed star tattooed in navy blue ink on her forehead. She had a face like a porcelain, exquisitely sculpted and smooth but  
cold and hard. No it wasn't, it never had been. It was warm and smiling. Off to one side stood Rowan. Her carranam. Friend. Lover. Equal. Her mate. His perfectly formed face was looking away for a second to tell Lysandra something but  
when he looked back and saw her, his entire muscled body contracted beneath the silver and light blue tunic he was wearing. Taking one last look at Aedion she started the long walk to the altar and her mate.

Each step was painfully slow but at the same time too fast. The aisle shortening and extending at the same time. Finally she reached the burnished gold altar. Aedion kissed her cheek and placed her delicate pale hand in Rowan's massive scarred one. Aelin  
looked back at the first row of the seats where Aedion had gone and sat. Dorian and his new wife, Chaol and Nesryn, Manon and the Crochans, Galan and his parents, Evangeline, Aedion, Lysandra and their blue eyed boy, Lorcan and Elide, Fenrys,  
Rowan's cousins, Murtagh and Ren, Ansel and a handful of other rulers from different countries along with all of Terrasens nobility. All of them, apart from Ansel, where dressed to the nines, who as per usual was wearing a tunic and pants. Behind  
them was a collection of off duty guards, richer citizens of Orynth and nobility from Ardalan, Eyllwe, Fenharrow, Melisande , Wendlyn and the Southern Continent. But whenever she wasn't trying to focus on a face it was just a blur of colour and shape.  
She shook her head, it was just nerves. Aelin looked back at Rowan, "Fireheart" Rowan murmured barely intelligible, " Buzzard", she shot back quietly enough that only he heard. A smile danced across his face, it made her fire rise up inside  
her and felt his magic do the same in pure, unadulterated joy and love. He squeezed her hand as they began the vows.

There were a lot of things to say. Vows first to each other and then to Terrasen. Rings then crowns. When Aelin had said the final "I do", she turned to Rowan to kiss him and seal the marriage. His lips pressed against hers and as the kiss  
deepened out of the corner of her eye she saw the hall crumbling into ash and being blown away but she didn't care. It was just them. The cavernous hall continued crumbling until it was just the two of them kissing in the empty void. And then  
Rowan pulled away just as he crumbled to ash too, his face filled with pain and sorrow. Aelin held out a hand to grab him and try and keep him here with her, but she was grasping empty air. Lastly the dress started to crumble, revealing  
a stained and bloody tunic - . With a jolt she came back to her senses. To a world of the agony of her back, the bite of iron chains, mask and the iron of the coffin that made her breath hurt. She didn't want to open her eyes. Aelin wanted to  
return that beautiful place in her mind where Erawan and Maeve were gone and she was with Rowan. Suddenly the lid was thrown back to reveal the face of the Cairn grinning like a skull." Rise of and shine little fire girl" was the only thing  
he said, the dark light in his eyes promising pain. And she didn't fight. Because she couldn't. _I am sorry Nehemia - the fire has gone out. I am sorry Sam - I could not save you. I am sorry Lysandra - for what I have asked you to do. I am sorry Aedion - I do not blame you. And I am sorry Rowan - I wish we could have had more time._ When  
the darkness came to claim her, she did not fight. Because she couldn't. _I am sorry Rowan. I will see you again. Somehow. Someday. In the next life, to whatever end._ To whatever end. 


End file.
